Three albums in, the limitations of
the Bamboo Kids sound are starting to come into focus. It's not that
Feel Like Hell is a bad album; in fact, with its gritty, scuzzball take on '70s punk,
Feel Like Hell is close to the equal of the band's first two efforts. It's just that it's also not particularly different. For all the garagey stomp of tunes like the rockabilly-influenced "Child Prodigy" and the proudly snotty anthem "Low Life," there's a sense that any of these songs could have been done before. This in no way impedes the giddy rush of this punky-poppy blast, but history reminds us that after
the Ramones' third album, it was all diminishing returns, forever. However, if they're going to try for an
End of the Century-style connection to pop-punk's past on their next album, they should see if Richard Gottehrer is available: his '60s garage rock roots enlivened a lot of vintage punk and new wave albums back in the day, and slightly experimental songs like "Radio Rebel" and "Palpitations" suggest that
the Bamboo Kids are casting about for ways to expand themselves without ruining what makes them great. ~ Stewart Mason